The past couple of days have been rough for the great tit couple that nests in front of my apartment building. An Eurasian jay viciously hunted down several of their fledglings, killing at least two and injuring three. Knowing Eurasian jays prey on great and blue tit chicks is one thing, witnessing the brutal hunt is another. I had never suspected my spring watch would take such a dramatic turn.

The great tits built their nest inside a street lamp post, 2.5 meters off the ground, a smart choice in an urban environment where nesting cavities are scarce. I kept an eye and ear on the nest to try guessing when the chicks would fledge, always a special moment to attend.

Meet the father. Compared to his female, he is quite shy around humans. Credit: Yalakom

Meet the mother. She is easily recognizable because of her pale color, white spots on the back of her head and her bad wing. Her right wing is always falling on the side. She is not shy at all and very inquisitive. She adores water and bathes once or twice every day on my window ledge pool. Credit: Yalakom

Here is the male allofeeding his mate. This started many days before the female laid her eggs. The female utters begging calls while quivering her wings, like a chick would. You can read about allofeeding here. Credit: Yalakom

Two days ago, I was awoken by a concert of alarm calls. Two great tits were flying in circle around a high branch of the large oak tree that stands across from my window. A jay soon came in sight Continue reading →

Some greylag goslings (Anser anser) from a nearby pond. The parents are impressively relaxed among humans and even approach those who sit on the benches, begging for food. Here are some photographs of this lovely family of seven taken with a 55-200mm Nikkor lens.

A world of giants. Credit: Yalakom

Coming out of the water. Credit: Yalakom

Credit: Yalakom

A string of goslings. Credit: Yalakom

The father, showing off a little, but never really meaning it when it comes to humans! Credit: Yalakom

Mountain goat kid from the Chilcotin Mountains, BC, Canada. The baby was only a few days old at the time these photographs were taken. Unsecure and clumsy on the sheer rocky slopes, he was being carefully watched over and encouraged by his mother—the nanny.

Nanny and kid in their element on the rocky terrain. Credit: on of us

Credit: One of us

Credit: One of us

Approaching mountain goats closely is challenging. These ungulates are perfectly adapted to steep, rocky terrain and inhabit remote, high-up areas that are often inaccesible to humans. Moreover, they are generally shy creatures. To sight this young goat taking its first faltering steps, we had to reach the mountain top, a 2-hour climb on a hazardous slope where rockfalls regularly occurred (see images below).

Getting closer to the top. From this point, the climb became more difficult because rocks were increasingly larger and often slid down. Rocks were crumbly and fell down without notice. There were fewer trees and vegetation to hang on to. Credit: Lisa Munz

Looking down to where we started. Up to this point, the rocks are quite small making for an easy climb. Going back is a fun slide down but ruins your shoes! Credit: Lisa Munz

A baby snail braving the elements in my garden this morning. I believe this is a young white-lipped snail (Cepaea hortensis), one of the two species that inhabit my garden, the other being the garden snail (Cornu aspersum). Young snails are unaware of danger, curious and will easily get out of their little shell to peek at the outside world.

This Blackbird juvenilewas fetched, unwell, on the side of the road, taken care of and released where it was found a couple days later. The parents took no more than 20 minutes find the fledgling after hearing his high pitched calls. They instantly recognized and welcoming him back. Before these pictures were taken, the hungry fledgling was given some banana-plum mix; some leftovers can be seen on the tip of its large bill.

Blackbird fledglings really look like little chickens as their tail is amazingly short. And indeed, for a few days after fledging, they are unable to fly and must hide at near-ground level to survive. This is the most vulnerable period of their life and mortality is high. Credit: Yalakom

A female Alpine Ibex (Capra ibex) with kid having a snooze a few meters off the trail leading up to the Col de Fenestre, a mountain pass at the Mercantour National Park in the French Alps. For additional pictures of these ungulates and more information about the sightings and the area, click here.